Runners

Jim Taylor, the narrator, is living with his grandmother in a rundown housing development in urban England. While picking up a record at the library, he inadvertently obtains a computer disk full of confidential information. This is the disk Casey, a street kid/messenger boy, is supposed to deliver to someone in the Mob-like Collective. Unfortunately for both, the disk is destroyed, and the two boys suddenly find themselves thrown together, running for their lives. They become further entangled until Casey decides to take definitive action against the Collectiveaction involving a trunk-load of explosives. The story is bolstered by Jim's exploration of moral dilemma and choices, told with an appealing blend of intelligence, pathos and off-beat humor. Skipper's first novel is fast-paced and thought-provoking. Ages 12-up. (April)